Halfhearted
by Strawberry Nightmare
Summary: COMPLETE Part 2 in the Amelia series. Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when one of Grissom and Sara's victims turns out to be a sibling of one of the CSIs?
1. Back To Work

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Original Note:** First chapter! I hope you guys like! I'm trying to be more descriptive and such. I just bought the CSI: Miami book Heat Wave, which is a good book so far, so I've gotten some good ideas. I also have the CSI book Grave Matters, which is another great book. They're good for ideas. Please Read and Review!

**Chapter 1: Back To Work**

_"Justice Is Lost_

_Justice Is Raped_

_Justice Is Gone_

_Pulling Your Strings_

_Justice Is Done_

_Seeking No Truth_

_Winning Is All_

_Find it So Grim_

_So True_

_So Real" -Metallica "...And Justice For All"_

The sun started to set in the west in Las Vegas, Nevada, waking up the night owls. Half of the residents of the city and surrounding cities were going home to prepare dinner for their families and tuck in their children and then finally crawl into their own bed for a nice, peaceful sleep. The other half of the city was preparing to go out to the clubs and the casinos. But then there was a small part of the city that was getting ready for work. Somebody had to work the night shift at certain places all over the city. Places like the Las Vegas Crime Lab and the Las Vegas Police Department.

The people on day shift were just coming off as the people on night shift were coming on. The tired faces of day shift were greeted by the lively faces of night shift. Grumbled greetings were given from the likes of Conrad Ecklie to the likes of Gil Grissom, while Grissom preferred to give Conrad a very lively 'Hello' and a big cheery smile, just because he knew it would piss him off. Ecklie stormed out of the building, biting back a snide remark, while Grissom headed towards his office to hand out assignments.

Inside the lab, Greg and Amelia were chatting it up with each other as they waited for everyone else to come in. It had been two weeks since Amelia had returned to the lab. She had gotten her car back and had found and moved into her own apartment, which happened to be about five minutes from Grissom's townhouse. She and Grissom had gone on three dates since he first asked her out. They had managed to keep it from everybody, though it was hard.

But yet something was nagging Amelia. Something was nagging her in the back of her mind and it was pissing her off. She had taken the engagement ring Tim gave to her and she had put it in a shoe box with pictures and newspaper clippings about Tim.

After she did that, everything suddenly felt wrong to her.

And every time she went out on a date with Grissom she felt like she was cheating on Tim. She just pushed that feeling away and chalked it up to the fact he had died recently. _It's natural_, she told herself. _He's dead and I feel guilty because I loved him a lot. _One night, after she had her first date with Grissom, she woke up in the middle of the night after having a weird dream. She was still on her one week bed rest, so Grissom had been at work and she was all alone. She dreamt that Tim was still alive and he was mad at Amelia for cheating on him. The dream felt real.

It felt so real that Amelia called Horatio in Miami, at 12:15 a.m., just to confirm that Tim was, in fact, still dead. Horatio confirmed her fears and they ended up talking for hours.

But a doubt still lingered in the back of her mind.

She couldn't shake it.

Amelia said her goodbyes to Greg, who returned to his lab, while she joined the rest of the team in the lounge and waited as Grissom handed out assignments.

"Ok, Mel and Catherine, you have a DB at a hotel." Grissom handed the paper to Amelia, his eyes looking at the next slip of paper. He looked at her as their fingers touched. Amelia quickly pulled away and looked down at the paper. Grissom cleared his throat as the rest of the team gave him and Amelia a questioning look. "Uh, Sara you're with me. DB killed in his home." He handed the slip to Sara. " Warrick, and Nick, you have a theft at a Casino." He handed the slip of paper to Warrick.

"Have fun."

-----------

Amelia parked her SUV in the front parking lot to the hotel and got out. She adjusted her vest and pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail. She walked back to her trunk and pulled her kit out as Catherine pulled up in her Denali. Amelia waited as Catherine got her own kit from her trunk.

"Hey Cath." Amelia greeted her. The two women decided to leave the lab separately. Catherine smiled at Amelia as she shut her trunk.

"Hey. You sleepin' better?" She asked. Amelia had told Catherine about her dreams, though not divulging the whole truth. Even at about 3 and half months, Amelia still hadn't told anyone she was pregnant. She didn't know how.

"Somewhat. Ready?" She asked. Catherine nodded. The two women walked into the hotel and were greeted by the manager.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the body." He said. Catherine and Amelia nodded and followed him.

"High profile?" Catherine asked, looking around as they walked to the elevator.

"Yes." Was all the manager said. Catherine gave Amelia an annoyed look behind the manager's back and Amelia fought to suppress a laugh.

"Who is it?" Amelia asked as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Rene Edwards." He answered. Amelia raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You mean Rene Edwards as in wife of Jack Edwards, famous politician in these parts?" She asked as they stopped at the crime scene tape. Half of the hallway was taped off. Bullet holes covered the walls. The manager nodded.

"Yes, that Rene Edwards. If you need anything, let me know." Amelia and Catherine nodded and then he left. The two women set their kits down and pulled out gloves. As they slipped their latex gloves on, Capt. Jim Brass walked up to them.

"What do we have?" Catherine asked as she and Amelia stepped under the police tape and began looking at the wall and floors.

Jim opened up his small notepad.

"Rene Edwards, age 50, wife of politician Jack Edwards and mother of four. According to the witnesses, Mrs. Edwards was sitting with her family in the living room watching the election on TV. Her youngest two kids, Emma and Matt were in their bedroom, the adjoining room, sleeping. Cate was in there watching a different TV program. The two kids woke up around 9:25 and Cate went to get her mother when she couldn't settle them down. Mrs. Edwards was putting them back to sleep around 10 when bullets started pouring through the walls. Cate, Emma, and Matt made it to the other room, but Mrs. Edwards was hit in the back and went down." Jim told them. Amelia smiled as she took pictures of the walls.

"Nice story Jim." She said. Jim smiled at her and closed his small notepad.

"Thanks, I'm here all night. Mr. Edwards, his brother John, Rene's brother Gary, Emma, Cate, and Matt are in the adjoining room. David is in the room with the body."

"I'll take the room." Catherine said. Amelia nodded and continued taking pictures. She stopped taking pictures and lowered the camera.

"How many bullets?" He asked. Amelia took a step back and took a guess.

"I would say, um, about 30 or so. .45, or maybe a .32. Hard to tell. I'm guessing whoever did this knew that this was the kids room. Why try to kill the kids?" Amelia asked. She looked over at Jim who shrugged.

"I don't know. It doesn't look like all of the bullets got through." He said. Amelia looked back at the wall.

"No, most of them got stuck in the wall. It looks like only four or five got through. Huh, guess I gotta bag all these bullets." She said, looking at the floor where a few of the bullets had fallen.

"Lucky you." Jim said before walking into the room. Amelia stuck her tongue out at his back.

"Lucky me." Amelia muttered.

---------------

Amelia walked out of the lab with a headache. It had taken her hours to get all of the bullets from the scene. 35 in all. Then she combed the carpet in the hall for anything that seemed out of place. She picked up hairs and fibers and...a few drops of blood. She had brought everything back to the lab and was ready for a break. Catherine had returned from the scene a few minutes after Amelia and she was at the autopsy with Al.

Amelia walked into the layout room and found Nick in there, working on one side of the table. Amelia smiled at him as she set her pictures on the other side. He smiled back at her.

"How's it going?" He asked, motioning to the pictures. Amelia sighed and spread the pictures of the wall out.

"Bad. Politician's wife." Amelia said as she set out the pictures of Rene Edwards. Nick cringed. A dead politician or a dead politician's family member was never a good thing. That would mean it would be high profile and most likely messy.

"Who?" He asked as he stretched.

"Rene Edwards." She told him. Nick shook his head as he went back to his work.

"That cannot be good at all. Jack Edwards...who would want to kill him or anybody in his family? He's a nice guy." Nick said.

"As far as we can tell, the bullets were supposed to kill his kids." Nick's head shot up. "The bullets were shot into the kids room. The wife was in there putting her kids to bed. They all ran for the next room, but...well, she didn't make it." She told him. Nick sighed and looked back at his pictures.

"That's gotta suck. I've seen her in the paper. She's always doing something for charity and kids. She seemed like a great person." Nick said sadly. Amelia nodded.

"Yeah." Was all she said. Amelia stared at the pictures, trying to piece everything together. The evidence seemed to match up with the witnesses statements. All she had to do was find out who would do this. Nick was right, the Edwards' were a nice family and everybody loved them. It was rare that anybody spoke out badly about them. Everybody seemed to love them.

So who would want to kill them?


	2. A Comforting Embrace

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Original Note:** Thank you to Space-Case7029. Ok, for this chapter, I worked very hard. It took me about three or four days to write out, then about two days to write it on here because, at the moment, I only get about four hours a day on the computer. But we're moving into our house next week and then I get my own computer back! So expect more frequent updates then! I hope you like!

**Chapter 2: A Comforting Embrace**

_"For my dreams I hold my life_

_For wishes I behold my night_

_The truth at the end of time_

_Losing faith makes a crime" -Nightwish "Sleeping Sun"_

They had a lead now. The blood drop found on the carpet matched an ex-con, Cassie Leer. Cassie had done ten years for possession of Cocaine. She had gotten out a couple of weeks before the murder of Rene Edwards. Now, they just had to find her. She wasn't where she was supposed to be and nobody knew where she was. That sort of thing could make a job very frustrating.

Bobby Dawson had identified the bullets as a .45. He even matched the bullets to a gun. A colt owned by Kayla Leer, Cassie's mother. Coincidently, Kayla had reported her gun missing a week earlier, around the time Cassie disappeared. When Jim and Amelia interviewed Kayla at her house, they learned very little, but interesting things all the same.

Amelia looked at Jim through her sunglasses. They didn't get the results back on the blood until the morning after the murder. Now the sun was shining brightly over Las Vegas in the early hours of the busy Wednesday morning. Jim had had little or no sleep while Amelia was able to catch a few hours of sleep. Though it was a restless sleep filled with the nightmare about Speed's death.

"Ready?" Jim asked, looking at her. Amelia smiled brightly, showing her big white smile, making Jim chuckle. The two got out of the Tahoe and headed to the front door. Amelia paid attention to every detail about the house and its yard. The Leer's lived on Holland Avenue, where all of the houses looked nice...except for the Leers. The grass was dry and brown in some places and bare dirt in others. The house was a single story ranch with a basement and a one-car garage. The house looked like it wasn't very well taken care of from the outside. The windows were covered in a layer of dirt and the wooden front door had dents and cuts in it. The screen door was riddled with holes and slash marks.

Amelia wiped the sweat from her forehead as Jim knocked on the front door. The early morning sun in December was unusually hot. It didn't bother Amelia, since she just spent four years in Miami, but she hadn't remembered it being this hot in December.

The front door opened and a 40-something woman stood in a raggedy blue robe. She kept the screen door shut as she glared at the two strangers on her door step. She pushed her graying hair from her eyes as Amelia pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head. Jim held up his badge.

"Hello ma'am. I'm Captain Jim Brass with the Las Vegas Police Department and this is Amelia Stokes with the Crime Lab." He introduced them both. The woman merely nodded as Amelia gave a small wave and smile. "Are you Kayla Leer?" He asked. Her upper lip curled as she nodded.

"Last time I checked. What you want?" She asked.

"Hmm. Do you own a Colt .45?" He asked, chuckling to himself about this woman who seemed to not give a rats ass about anything.

"Used to. It got stolen. I filed a report. Why you asking? This gotta do with that damn daughter of mine?" She asked angrily. Amelia cleared her throat.

"Ma'am, a few drops of your daughters' blood was found at a murder scene last night." Amelia told her. Kathy frowned angrily. Amelia put her hands on her hip; her left hand rested on the end her flashlight that was attached to her belt and her right hand rested on the butt of her gun. Nick and the other CSIs usually kept their flashlight in the pocket on their vest or in their kit, but Amelia liked it on her belt.

"Murder? What murder?" She asked angrily. Her dull brown eyes darted back and forth between Jim and Amelia.

"I'm afraid we can't divulge that information, ma'am." Jim told her. Kathy scowled and crossed her arms.

"I haven't seen that little bitch for about a week. She's probably at her friend Caroline's house." Kathy told them. Amelia's lip twitched as Kathy said 'bitch'. She hated it when parents talked bad about their own children.

"Ok. What is Caroline's last name and where does she live?" Jim asked as he took out his mini notepad and a pen. Kathy sighed in frustration.

"Caroline Leyna. She lives over on West Carey Avenue. 213. Two story yellow house. Pretty yard. Caroline and Cassie grew up together. Always friends. Caroline went to jail for a couple of years for selling drugs." She told them.

"Uh, does Cassie get nosebleeds?" Amelia asked, remembering the drop of blood found at the crime scene. Kayla nodded without hesitating.

"Yeah. She was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in Jail a few years ago, when she was about 16 or 17." She answered. Amelia smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. You've been a lot of help." Amelia told her. Kayla grumbled and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever. If you see that dumb daughter of mine, tell her she better never show her bitch ass face around this house ever again." She said angrily. Jim and Amelia exchanged and look and then they both smiled at Kayla.

"Sure thing." Jim said sarcastically before turning and walking back to the Tahoe. Amelia gave Kayla and pleasant smile before following Jim. As she pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes, she realized there was a small face plastered up against a window in the house across the street. Amelia stopped on the sidewalk where it joined the driveway. She looked across the street and smiled at the little boy. Jim had the driver's door opened and was getting in when he saw Amelia stop. He watched Amelia communicate with the young boy.

Amelia smiled and waved at young boy who smiled and waved back at her. Jim followed Amelia's gaze and then noticed the little boy. Amelia walked to the curb.

"Can you come outside with your Mom?" Amelia mouthed to him while motioning for him to come outside. The boy shrugged and walked away from the window. Jim and Amelia walked to the edge of the boys' yard and waited. A minute later the boy bounded out of the front door, followed by his mother. She stopped a few feet from the front door and crossed her arms.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked. The boy stood next to his mother as Amelia and Jim crossed the yard. Jim flashed his badge to the mother as they stood in front of the mother and her child.

"I'm Captain Jim Brass with the Las Vegas Police Department and this is Criminalist Amelia Stokes with the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

"I'm Jennifer Taylor and this is my son Jack." She told them. Amelia smiled and once again pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head.

"Are you cops?" The little boy asked, looking up at them with bright eyes. Amelia, who was standing in front of Jack, kneeled in front of him and took her badge off the front of her belt. She handed it to him and his eyes went wide with delight.

"Captain Brass is, but I'm a Crime Scene Investigator." She told him. He handed her badge back to her and she put it back on her belt.

"But you have a gun." He said, pointing at the standard Glock that was in its holster on her belt. Amelia's right hand went to the butt of her gun and she nodded.

"Yes. I'm a type of cop. I'm more of a Scientist." She told him.

"Are you here about that girl?" He asked innocently. Amelia glanced up at Jim and then back at Jack.

"What girl?" Amelia asked. Jack pointed across the street at the Leer's house.

"Cassie. She got dragged away." He told them. Amelia's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"What happened?" Jim asked gently. Jack looked up at him, his face showing that he was scared.

"Jack, honey, don't lie to the nice Cops." His mother warned him gently. Jack took a deep breath.

"Cassie slammed the door and then that guy got out of his car and dragged her and pushed her into his car. I haven't seen her since." He told them.

"Are you positive it was Cassie?" Amelia asked as she stood up. Amelia knew that if this was true then it was possible that Cassie had been framed for the murder of Rene Edwards. Amelia wiped the sweat from her forehead again and held her stomach. She suddenly felt dizzy and queasy.

"Yup. She had her orange hair." He said proudly, smiling up at the three grownups.

"When was this?" Jim asked. Jack thought silently for a minute then smiled at Jim brightly.

"Seven days ago!" Jack said, holding up seven fingers. Jim smiled appreciatively at Jack and Jack lowered his fingers.

"Jack's always looking out the window. Most eight year olds play outside with friends. Jack watches." Jennifer explained. Amelia smiled at her.

"Do you remember anything about the guy?" Amelia asked quickly as she tried to keep her breakfast down.

"He was tall and had short blonde hair. His truck was an ugly green." He told her. Jim and Amelia chuckled. Amelia's smile turned to a frown as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Uh, I'm sorry. Can I use your bathroom? I'm going to be sick." Amelia managed to say. Jennifer nodded quickly.

"Oh, yes. Jack, show her to the bathroom." Jennifer told him. Jack grabbed Amelia's free hand and dragged her into the house. Jim smiled apologetically at Jennifer.

"Sorry about that." He apologized for Amelia. Jennifer smiled and shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us. I know it's none of my business, but do you know how much longer she's going to be working until she goes on leave?" Jennifer asked.

"Excuse me?" Jim said, way beyond confused. Jennifer raised her left eyebrow.

"She's pregnant, right?" She asked. Jim's eyes went wide.

"What? How can you tell?" He asked. He hadn't even realized it and he doubted that anybody else at the lab had either.

"I was pregnant once too. She looks healthy and I just assumed..." She trailed off and looked away from Jim, blushing. "She looks to be about 3 or 4 months, just enough of a belly to make people think she's gaining weight." She paused. "Does she get sick a lot? Does she seem to eat more?" She asked. Jim thought for a second.

"Actually...yes to both." He paused. "Do you know who this guy is that your son is talking about?" Jim asked, changing the subject. Jennifer looked back at him and nodded.

"Oh, hmm. I think it might be Todd. Todd Coller. He used to come around a lot while Cassie was in Jail. He would do different things for Mrs. Leer. Groceries, mow the lawn, clean the house, things like that." She told him. Jim wrote it down in his mini notepad. As he did so, Amelia and Jack walked back out.

"I'm sorry about that." Amelia apologized to Jennifer. Jennifer smiled at Amelia and put her hands on Jack's shoulders.

"Not a problem."

"Ok, thank you for your time Mrs. Taylor." Jim said. Jennifer smiled as Jim and Amelia turned and headed back to Jim's Tahoe. Jim kept quiet until they got into the car and were heading to Caroline Leyna's house.

"You feeling ok?" He asked, staring at the road. Amelia shrugged.

"Better. I think it's just a bug." She told him.

"Yeah. One that lasts nine months?" He asked. Amelia looked at Jim with big eyes and a dropped jaw.

"How did you know?" Amelia asked, shocked that he knew.

"Mrs. Taylor. So, when were you going to tell us?" He asked. Amelia looked back out the front window and shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't-I don't know how. I mean, it's not like I can just say 'Oh, hey guys, by the way, I'm three and a half months pregnant with my dead boyfriends baby.' It's just not that easy." She said, chuckling slightly.

"Why not? It's not like they're going to be angry."

"Because Jim...things...they change and people...move onto...other people." She said, looking out the side window.

"Let me guess...Grissom?" He asked. Amelia sighed and rubbed her temples.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"We all do. We can tell by the way you two act around each other. We've just been waiting for a verbal confirmation."

"It's only been three dates. That's all." She told him. He chuckled.

-------------

Amelia walked grimly down the halls of the lab. She was trying to figure out how to tell everyone that she and Grissom were dating and she was almost four months pregnant with Tim's baby. Plus she was mad because they had been unable to locate both Cassie Leer and her friend Caroline Leyna.

It wasn't helping.

And neither was a double shift.

Amelia stopped in front of the layout room and looked in. Sara and Grissom were going over evidence. The two CSIs moved closer together and Amelia turned away angrily. Stop Mel, Amelia thought to herself as she crossed her arms and looked up and down the hallway. Being jealous isn't going to get you anywhere. Just breathe. Something felt wrong. She felt jealous. She didn't want to feel jealous. Something felt wrong in her head, in her heart, and in the pit of her stomach. She took a step forward and looked around. Her head was spinning with different things.

Suddenly everything felt so weird. She hated feeling jealous. She knew she had nothing to be jealous about. She felt like everything was a lie. Amelia reached up to her face as she felt a tear. Oh damn these hormones. Amelia cursed as tears started flowing down her face. Then she felt queasy. She walked to the wall in front of her and leaned up against it with her hands. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. Her head was pounding. So many things were running through her head. Tim, Miami, Grissom, Nick, Sara, and now this pregnancy. _I HATE THIS._ Amelia screamed in her head.

Nothing was right anymore.

Amelia stepped back from the wall and ran her hands through her hair and let out a breath. She was partly looking forward to the five or six week break she would be getting in about five months. The tears were still falling and her head was still spinning.

"Amelia?" Grissom said from her behind her. Amelia spun around and hastily wiped the tears from her face. He had a concerned look on his face.

"Hmm?" Amelia forced a smile, but it was pained. And Grissom could tell.

"Come here." Was all he said. Amelia walked into his open and waiting arms. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his soft shirt. She grabbed at his shirt as she cried. He wasn't sure of why she was crying but he had seen the look in her eyes and even though they were at work, he knew she needed to be comforted. He leaned his head sideways on top of hers and stroked her hair with her left hand.

"Mel, what's wrong?" He asked her softly.

"Oh Grissom. I'm so sorry. I'm-" Sobs racked through her body and she paused. Grissom moved his head and looked down at her. He used his left hand to gently make Amelia face his while his right hand remained on her back, gently holding her. He smiled sweetly at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked again, more gently and softer this time. Amelia's soft brown eyes locked with Grissom's soft blue eyes.

"I'm almost four months pregnant with Tim's baby." She told him softly. The expression on Grissom's face never faltered or falsified. He gently ran his thumb across her cheek. "And we can't find the only suspect in my case and it's frustrating me." She added, smiling softly. Grissom's lips tugged up into a smile to match Amelia's.

"At least you have a suspect." Grissom joked. Amelia finally let go of Grissom's now wet shirt and wiped her face. The two CSIs moved away from each other, though both missed the other's touch. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Thank you." She told him quietly. He gave her a small nod and she walked around him to head to the locker room. She was oblivious to the CSIs and Lab Techs who had seen everything. Amelia walked into the locker room to get her vest, a smile on her face.

Grissom turned to go back into the layout room and found Sara staring at him, an accusing and hurt look on her face. Grissom's smile faded.

"Is...she...the reason why you never gave me a chance?" Sara asked coldly.

"Sara-" Grissom started to say. Sara shook her head and went back into the room. Grissom sighed and followed her.

Amelia stared at her locker, her eyes wide with shock. She had just had an intimate moment with Grissom at work. That was forbidden. _Get a grip! _Amelia scolded herself as she calmed down. _Things are going to get insane! You should have kept it together. _She stared down at her hands as the door opened.

"Mel?" Catherine said, walking into the locker room. Nick and Warrick were behind her.

"Yes, Grissom and I have been dating. Sort of. We've gone on three dates." She paused as she someone beeped her on her Cell phone.

"Mel?" Jim said over the walkie talkie, interrupting the possible awkward conversation. Amelia took her cell out of its holder and pressed the talk button.

"Yo Jimbo." She said, chuckling. Everyone stayed silent as they waited for Jim to respond. Amelia looked up at her locker. She was silently hoping that Jim had good news.

"Funny. Good news, sort of. Caroline Leyna was just admitted to the Valley Hospital Medical Center." He told her. Amelia sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Amelia asked. Catherine walked over and sat next to Amelia.

"A guy going for a jog found her in an alley next to a local gas station. She was shot, but she's ok." He paused. "You want me to pick you and Catherine up?" He asked. Amelia looked at Catherine who shook her head. Amelia looked back at her locker.

"No. Catherine and I will meet you there."

"Roger." Amelia put her cell phone back in its holder. She continued to stare at her locker.

"I'm four months pregnant." Amelia finally said.

"Oh Ames...is it...Tim's?" Catherine asked softly. Amelia nodded and licked her lips.

"Yeah. Uh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner. I just-I didn't know how." She chuckled nervously.

"It's ok Ames. Come on. We've got somebody to question." Catherine said, rubbing Amelia's back.

"Yeah, let's go."

Through all of this, Nick was surprisingly quiet. He was quietly watching his older sister, watching her as she gave them two pieces of surprising news. He could believe that she and Grissom were dating, but he couldn't believe that she was pregnant. _Poor Mel,_ Nick thought, she _just can't catch a break._


	3. Murder Of A Richards

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Original Note:** Trish, thank you! I feel so stupid! I am from the US but I've never really paid attention to how long women get for maternity leave. My sister was a marine when she gave birth to her son, which I was there for, and then she got six weeks of maternity leave. I can't believe I forgot that, well, actually I can. Thank you for reminding me. I'm glad you like this. It's nice to know that someone other than myself enjoys this story. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. Thank you.

**Chapter 3: Murder Of The Richards**

_'Praeterita mûtâre nôn possumus' (We can't change what's been done.) -Cicero_

While Catherine and Amelia went to a hotel for their DB, and Warrick and Nick had a casino theft, Grissom and Sara were on their way to North Las Vegas, particularly the corner of Linn Lane and East Owens Avenue, near Sunrise Manor. A man was dead and his wife, brother-in-law, and sister were on their way to Valley Hospital Medical Center. Grissom drove the lengthy drive from the forensics lab, on Stewart Avenue, to the Richard's house. Every once in a while Grissom would glance over at Sara.

After a while, he finally decided to say something. "So, uh, are you ok with Amelia?" Grissom asked nervously, staring at the road ahead. Sara looked over at him in confusion.

"Yeah, why?"

"Just making sure. I know your first meeting wasn't pleasant and I don't want your personal feelings to mess up anything during work." He explained. Sara rolled her eyes, looked back out the window, and shrugged.

"Whatever. We're cool Griss." She told him. He nodded. A few minutes later Grissom parked his Denali across the street from the crime scene. The two CSIs got out of the car and headed to the trunk. They both grabbed their kits and then headed across the street. As they stepped under the yellow tape, Grissom pushed the lock button on his car and it beeped back at him. Grissom and Sara walked up to Vega who was standing near the front door with his mini notepad, waiting for them.

"Welcome to North Las Vegas." He greeted them with an annoyed smile. Grissom smiled back at him.

"What exactly do we have?" Grissom asked, looking around.

"According to Mrs. Diana Richards this is how it went down. She, her husband Alan, his sister Lisa and her husband Carson Warner were having dinner when somebody stormed into their house. Three people wearing all black and ski masks. The first man shot Alan instantly and then Lisa. Carson and Diana tried to escape and they were shot at, only a couple of bullets made contact, but not enough to seriously hurt them. They ran across the street and their neighbor called the cops. Lisa is in critical condition, while Carson and Diana are stable." He told them. Grissom nodded and then him and Sara followed Det. Vega into the house.

Grissom set his kit down and pulled out gloves and slipped them on as he looked around.

"Do they know what happened to the three suspects?" Sara asked as she slipped gloves on. She walked into the middle of the kitchen and started taking pictures.

"Ran out the back." Vega told her. Sara grunted and took a few pictures of the body of Alan Richards. He looked to be about 40 something, graying brown hair, a nice, medium build, and he looked to be about 6'3" or 6'2". Sara kneeled next to the body as David did a check over.

"COD?" She asked him. He looked up at her.

"He bled out. Two, oh, I'd say 9mm straight to the heart. I'd say he died a few minutes after the bullet hit. I found his wallet still on him with 3 20s and...he's from Atlanta." He told her, handing the wallet to her. Sara looked it over. He was indeed.

"Interesting." She looked over at Vega who was standing by the door. "How long have they lived here?" She asked him. He looked over at her.

"I think Mrs. Richardson said about 3 months now." He told her. She looked back at him.

"How could someone make enemies with someone in just three months? I mean, enough to make them want him and his family dead?" She muttered to herself. David glanced on her, unsure of if he should reply. Since Sara looked deep in thought, he decided against it.

"He'll meet you back at the lab." David said, standing up. Sara nodded, took a few more pictures, then stood up and backed away as they loaded him on a gurney and took him away. Sara took a few pictures of where the body had been and then kneeled down. She found a few pieces of stray hair, not from Richards. They seemed to be blonde. She put each one in a bag and then took a sample of a blood stain a few feet from where Richard's had been.

Sara stood up and walked to the wall where some pictures where hanging. One of the pictures had been hit and then knocked to the floor. She picked it up and looked at it. It was of a reasonably nice looking man with a beautiful woman, with a blood stain in the middle of it. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but Sara couldn't place where she knew her from.

"Carson and his wife, just about a week ago when they were in Mexico." Vega told her. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "Diana told me when the EMTs were helping her out to the ambulance. She said it was a very important picture, the mark of Carson and Lisa's two year anniversary." Sara nodded in understanding and put the picture in an evidence bag.

"How nice." She muttered. A few hours later, Grissom and Sara were done with the scene. They had fingerprints, blood stains, hair samples, and shell casings from a 9mm. Sara walked into the back living room where Grissom was staring at a wall.

'LIVING A LIE' was written in blood on the wall.

"Wow." Was all Sara could say. Grissom grunted in reply.

"I took a swab. Seems like the Richard's were living a lie." Sara nodded and gathered up her evidence bags and her kit and the headed out to Grissom's Denali.

"Find anything good?" He asked as they reached the trunk of the car. Grissom unlocked the car and popped the trunk. Sara smiled as she put her kit in the trunk. She handed him the bag with the picture in it.

"Possibly the killer's blood." She told him as he looked at it. He nodded and handed it back to her.

"Great, something to go on. I called the hospital. All three victims are in surgery so we'll stop by in the morning." He told her as he climbed in the car. Sara nodded and took her seat in the passenger side.

"Great."

--------

Grissom stood with Sara at the Nurses Station the next morning. He was starting to get annoyed. The nurse couldn't seem to find the three patients Grissom and Sara were looking for. Sara shifted beside him and she placed her kit on the ground. She placed both of her hands flat on the counter and stared at the nurse.

"Look, it's not that hard. The three patient's names are Diana Richards, Lisa Warner, and Carson Warner. Two female and one male. How hard is that?" Sara said calmly. The nurse put her hands on her hips.

"I'm going to have to ask you two to leave. They aren't here, I'm sorry." The nurse told them. Sara sighed angrily.

"We called here last night. They were in surgery here. Where are they?" Sara said through gritted teeth.

"Is there a problem?" Another nurse asked, walking up. Sara glared at her.

"Yes, there is. This nurse can't find three patients." Sara said angrily. Grissom sighed silently beside her.

"What are their names?" She asked calmly.

"Diana Richards, Lisa Warner, and Carson Warner. Two female, one male." Sara told her. Sara just barely caught the flicker of guilt on the nurses face before she smiled.

"Well if she says they aren't here, then they aren't here. Now I'm sorry, but you have to go." The nurse said. Sara took her badge off her belt and slammed it on the desk. Both nurses' eyes went wide as they stared at the badge.

"Las Vegas Crime Lab. If I have to, I will get Det. Vega down here, do you want that?" Sara said angrily. Grissom rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. This can't be happening. Grissom thought as he blocked the voices out. The nurse leaned in closer to Sara's face.

"Come back later and you can see them." She whispered. She leaned down below the desk and then came up with evidence bags with clothes and bullets in them. "These are their clothes. They're still sleeping now, come back later." The nurse told her, almost begging. Sara took her badge and put it back on her belt then grabbed the bags.

"Thank you." Sara replied, sighing in relief. _It was about damn time, _Sara thought as she and Grissom finally left the hospital. Grissom himself couldn't help but wonder what all the secrecy was all about.

------------

Sara took Carson's shirt and laid it out flat on the table. There were three or four blood stains on the now dirty white shirt. She took her tweezers and took a few hairs off of the shirt on the back. She looked up as Grissom walked in and put a blue lab coat on.

"Was Bobby able to match all of the bullets?" Sara asked as Grissom took Alan Richard's shirt and spread it out on the table. He nodded.

"All of the bullets came from the same gun. But there's a problem." He told her as he went over the shirt with a magnifying lens.

"Which is?" Sara probed, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.

"They came from a standard Glock. 9mm. Police issue. He hasn't found a trace to a particular gun yet, but he's looking." He told her. Sara sighed and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"So you're saying that a cop shot up Alan Richards and his family?" Sara asked in disbelief. Grissom looked up at her.

"No, that's what you're saying. I'm just saying that a cop's gun was used." Grissom said. Sara rolled her eyes and went back to looking at Carson's shirt. They worked in silence for a while until Grissom suddenly stood up. He had been working on Carson's pants. He turned around.

"What is she doing?" Grissom muttered. Sara looked up and followed Grissom's gaze. Amelia was leaning up against the other wall with her head lowered. After a minute she took a step back and ran her hands through her hair. Grissom stepped out into the hall and Sara walked over to the door to watch the encounter.

"Amelia?" Grissom said from her behind her. Amelia spun around and hastily wiped the tears from her face. He had a concerned look on his face.

"Hmm?" Amelia forced a smile, but it was pained. And Grissom could tell.

"Come here." Was all he said. Amelia walked into his open and waiting arms. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his soft shirt. She grabbed at his shirt as she cried. He wasn't sure of why she was crying but he had seen the look in her eyes and even though they were at work, he knew she needed to be comforted. He leaned his head sideways on top of hers and stroked her hair with her left hand.

"Mel, what's wrong?" He asked her softly.

"Oh Grissom. I'm so sorry. I'm-" Sobs racked through her body and she paused. Grissom moved his head and looked down at her. He used his left hand to gently make Amelia face his while his right hand remained on her back, gently holding her. He smiled sweetly at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked again, more gently and softer this time. Amelia's soft brown eyes locked with Grissom's soft blue eyes.

"I'm almost four months pregnant with Tim's baby." She told him softly. The expression on Grissom's face never faltered or falsified. He gently ran his thumb across her cheek. "And we can't find the only suspect in my case and it's frustrating me." She added, smiling softly. Grissom's lips tugged up into a smile to match Amelia's.

"At least you have a suspect." Grissom joked. Amelia finally let go of Grissom's now wet shirt and wiped her face. The two CSIs moved away from each other, though both missed the other's touch immediately. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Thank you." She told him. He gave her a small nod and she walked around him to head to the locker room. She was oblivious to the CSIs and Lab Techs who had seen everything. Amelia walked into the locker room to get her vest, a smile on her face.

Grissom turned to go back into the layout room and found Sara staring at him, an accusing and hurt look on her face. Grissom's smile faded as he realized why she looked as pissed off as she did.

"Is...she...the reason why you never gave me a chance?" Sara asked coldly.

"Sara-" Grissom started to say. Sara shook her head and went back into the room. Grissom sighed and followed her. She immediately went back to work on Lisa Warner's shirt, tears were blocking her vision but she didn't care. "Would you give me the chance to explain?" Grissom asked gently. Sara looked up at him, glaring.

"Why should I?" She asked him angrily, blinking back tears. She couldn't believe that after all this time, Amelia was the reason Grissom never even gave her a chance. It hurt her.

"Because, you don't understand." He said.

"Try me." Sara leaned her hip against the counter with her arms crossed.

"I've known Amelia since 1998 and when I first met her I knew she was different. She approached me on different things. She approached me about the bugs in my office, asking different questions, learning different things. She approached me about my mom and the hearing loss and the sign language. She approached me about putting a desk in my office. She approached me about going on rollercoaster's, she wanted to know me." He paused. "To me, it was like she was the only one who cared about me as a person and not just as a CSI. She made the effort to ask me questions and get to know me. With her, I felt comfortable answering them. Then, she asked me out to dinner."

"Wasn't she married?" Sara asked, interrupting. Grissom nodded sadly.

"Yes. I told her I didn't think it was a good idea." He paused sadly and looked down at the table. "She moved two weeks later. I thought it was my fault. I shut myself off to the things she introduced me to. I stopped sharing my life with other people and I shut down with relationships. That's why I never went on a date with you. Then when you asked me out to dinner that one time, it was like you were Amelia and 'no' came out before I could stop it. I'm surprised you're still here, I thought you would have left a long time ago." He told her truthfully. Sara sighed and uncrossed her arms.

"I understand, but I don't like it. You could have given me a chance." Sara told him, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I know and I'm sorry." Grissom sighed and turned back to Carson's pants just as Det. Vega walked into the room.

"Carson Warner just woke up. He's ready to talk." Vega told them.

-------

"Carson Warner sustained two full bullet impacts." The doctor told Grissom. "One went through his left shoulder; it didn't cause much damage to the bones. The second bullet hit his lower abdomen, going through a kidney. We were able to repair it and he should recover in a days' time." The doctor finished. Grissom nodded. Sara and Vega were in Carson's hospital room, talking with him. Grissom was finding out the conditions of all three victims.

"And Lisa Warner?"

"She got away with a bullet right under the right shoulder blade. Went through the back and exited out the front. It grazed the lung, but we were able to patch it up. She was the luckiest one." He paused and looked down at a chart. "Now, Diana Richards, she sustained the most damage, besides her husband, of course. She got shot a total of four times. One went through her right lung, one through the left kidney, one through her left femur and one through the bottom of her right foot. It went through the bottom and exited out the front." He told Grissom. Grissom shook his head.

"How is she doing?" Grissom asked.

"She's on a rocky road right now, but in due time, she'll recover. Each one will make a recovery, but Mr. Warner and Mrs. Richards will be in the hospital for a while. Mrs. Warner should be allowed to leave in a few days." Grissom nodded and the doctor left Grissom standing at the desk, across from Carson Warner's room. Grissom spun around as he heard a familiar voice.

"I'll meet you in her room." Amelia said to Catherine and Jim. "I need a report and I need her clothes." She told them. Catherine and Jim nodded and then continued down the hall, saying hi to Grissom as they passed. Amelia stopped in front of

Grissom, giving him one of her radiating smile.

"Hi." Grissom said in a soft voice. He smiled at her.

"Hi yourself. What are you doing here?" She asked him, turning to her side to motion to a nurse. She looked back at him as she waited for a nurse.

"One of our victims is awake, we're getting a story." He said, pointing at Carson Warner's room. Amelia turned her head and looked in the room. She could see Sara and Vega talking to someone but she couldn't see the person on the bed. She turned back to Grissom.

"How many vics?" She asked him.

"3 alive, 1 dead." He told her. Amelia pursed her lips, nodded, and turned to the nurse as she walked up.

"How can I help you?" The nurse asked nicely. Grissom recognized her as the nurse who denied Grissom and Sara access to see Carson Warner earlier.

"I need a report on Caroline Leyna and I need her clothes and a bullet, if one was extracted." Amelia told her very nicely. The nurse smiled and turned around. Amelia looked back at Grissom.

"Is Sara ok?" Amelia asked after a few minutes of silence. Grissom's face pained but he nodded.

"Yeah. She was...a little upset." He told her. Amelia nodded.

"Yeah, Catherine said that she and you had...well...yeah. I'm sorry about doing that in front of everybody." Amelia apologized. Grissom smiled softly at her and shook his head. He gently grabbed her left arm and rubbed it.

"It's ok. I'm surprised you held it in that long." He paused. "Um, have you told...Horatio?" He asked. Amelia nodded and Grissom let his hand drop.

"Yeah. I did. I called Miami a few days ago and let them all know." She turned to the nurse as she walked up with the doctor and a couple evidence bags with clothes and a bullet inside them. One evidence bag had a small bag of cocaine in it. Amelia smirked. The nurse handed the bags to Amelia and then walked off.

"Caroline Leyna is going to be fine. One shot just below the heart. She did lose quite a bit of blood, but she's going to be fine. She's been in and out of consciousness, but I'm sure she'll be able to answer a few questions." He told her. Amelia smiled at him and Grissom's face twitched with a bit of jealousy.

"Thank you." The doctor smiled at Amelia and then left. Amelia turned to Grissom. "Dinner?" She asked. The jealousy in Grissom faded and he smiled.

"When?" He asked. Amelia shrugged.

"Well, I pretty much doubt tonight, but we could always do breakfast or lunch tomorrow." She offered. Grissom leaned in and kissed Amelia's cheek.

"It's a date." He smiled at her and walked away, leaving Amelia blushing in a hospital hallway. _Damn that man,_ Amelia thought as she started walking down the hallway. She walked into Caroline Leyna's hospital room and set the evidence bags on the table next to the wall. Caroline gazed at Amelia as Amelia walked to the end of the bed.

"Who be you?" Caroline asked, her words slurring together.

"I be Amelia Stokes, with the Crime Lab." Amelia introduced herself sarcastically. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Oh great, another one." She mumbled. Amelia smirked.

"Yeah another one." She looked at Catherine. "Get anything?" She asked. Catherine shook her head.

"She's not talking." Amelia looked back at Caroline.

"Caroline, I'm running on about...oh, ten hours of no sleep. I'm also pregnant so I'm in a bad mood and I'm hungry. Now, I can't go on the date with my friend until you start talking. So either you talk or I'll have Jim pull you in." Amelia said. Caroline looked at her.

"For what?" She asked. Amelia held up the small bag of cocaine.

"For possession of Cocaine." Caroline's eyes flicked to Jim and then back at Amelia. "This will be your third offence." Amelia added.

"Oh, you'll be gone for a while." Jim said, crossing his arms in front of him. Caroline gulped.

"Where is Cassie?" Amelia asked strongly, leaning on the end of the bed.

"She and...Todd they be together. At his house. D Ave. Man, I didn't know nothing and he shot me. I didn't know nothing! I SWEAR!" Caroline yelled, sitting up in bed. Amelia smiled as she stood up straight.

"Thank you." Amelia walked over to Caroline's side to talk to Catherine. She leaned in close. "Sara's pissed." Amelia whispered. Catherine chuckled beside her.

"I figured as much." The two women moved away from each other and Amelia's grip on the bag of Cocaine slipped. The bag fell to the floor and both women leaned down to pick it up. Then bullets started shooting the glass of the front wall and the door. Amelia, Catherine, and Jim all rushed for cover, all aiming for under the bed. Amelia ignored the pains that hit her arms as she tried to hide. Caroline, after getting hit once, rolled off the side of the bed and hid as the bullets finally stopped flying. Amelia looked at Jim who was bleeding.

"JIM!" Amelia yelled. She reached out to him and applied pressure to his wounds, though it was hard to reach him. She figured he had been shot twice. He tried to smile but it was pained.

"I'm ok." He managed to say. Catherine ran around to the other side of the bed to tend to Caroline and Jim. When Catherine started applying pressure to Jim's wounds, Amelia finally stood up and ran into the hallway.

"WE NEED A DOCTOR! PLEASE!" Amelia screamed at the doctors and nurses who had hid behind doors and furniture. Amelia moved from the doorway as a couple of doctors and nurses rushed into the room. She stared down the hallway where Grissom and Sara were in standing in the doorway to their victim's room. Amelia turned around and looked in the room. The doctors and nurses were getting Caroline and Jim on gurneys. Catherine walked up to Amelia.

"You ok?" Catherine asked, noticing the blood on Amelia's arms. Amelia looked at her arms and nodded. It didn't hurt. She figured it was Jim's blood.

"I'm fine. You?" She asked. Catherine smiled.

"I'm ok." Their eyes followed Jim as he was wheeled from the room. "I'm going to see if anyone managed to catch the guy." Catherine muttered angrily. Amelia nodded as Catherine walked away. Amelia grabbed the bags of evidence and headed out of the room. She walked down the hallway towards Grissom and Sara.

"Amelia." Grissom said as she walked up. Amelia took a deep breath.

"I should have gone after him." Amelia muttered. Grissom and Sara both frowned.

"Vega went after him. He called for backup. Is everyone ok?" Sara asked, looking at Amelia's arms which were covered in blood. Amelia shook her head and looked at Sara, a blank look on her face.

"Jim, uh, Jim got hit a couple of times and out witness got hit. I didn't even see him." She told them sadly. Grissom fought the urge to wrap his arms around Amelia. For some reason, he felt right now wasn't a good time. Instead he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Vega will get him." He paused as he looked closely at her arms. "Maybe you should see a doctor." Grissom offered. Amelia finally looked down at her arms and took a closer look.

"It doesn't hurt." She mumbled to herself.

"Ma'am?" A passing doctor said, noticing the blood on her arms. She looked up at him.

"I don't think it's mine." She told him. He gently grabbed her arm and led her to the counter where he got some gauze and started to clean her wounds. Sara walked up to her and stood beside her, her arms crossed.

"Cath ok?" She asked. Amelia looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah. She went to see if somebody caught the guy. I, uh, think. I don't know." She muttered. Sara nodded and looked away.

"You want me to drive you back to the lab?" She asked quietly. Amelia smiled softly as Sara looked back at her.

"Thanks. I should get this evidence logged in before it gets tainted. I'm lucky it didn't get hit or anything." Amelia said.

Sara nodded and smiled.

"Cool. I'll grab our evidence bags and wait for you."

--------

Amelia sat down on the couch in the lounge and sighed. She had multiple cuts on her arms from where bullets grazed them. A few minutes after the doctor had treated them, they started to hurt. Now, at only 5 in the afternoon, she was tired and aching. Jim had just gotten out of surgery and was doing ok. Caroline was also doing ok. They had also caught the guy, his name was Raymone Valdez. A friend of Todd and Cassie's. Now, they still couldn't find Cassie. A couple of uniformed officers had gone to Todd's house only to find no one there. The girl sure knows how to hide. Amelia thought as she sipped some coffee.

"Hey Mel, have you seen Sara and Grissom?" Mia asked, walking into the lounge. Amelia looked at her over the back of the couch and shrugged. She looked like she had some big news.

"Last time I saw them, they were in the layout room. You got something for them?" She asked. Mia nodded quickly and smiled.

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later." She turned and quickly rushed out of the room. Amelia shrugged and turned back around. She took another sip of her coffee. _Whatever._


	4. The Surprise

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Original Note:** I'm sorry this has taken so long! We moved into our house and then I lost all inspiration for this. I finally found some, so I'm sorry if this seems like I'm copying someone's story. I'm taking this in a different direction then people think, hopefully. I love surprises. Love to you all!!

**New Note [January 2009]:** I have changed something. It is no longer Tim who shows up. I found my long lost notes for my story and decided to edit Tim out. Sorry! Also, I realize the "death" is very similar to how Tim dies, and there is a reason for it. And no the reason is not just cause I couldn't think of anything else. You'll see later in this story!

**Chapter 4: The Surprise**

'_Alea iacta est.' (The Dice Have Been Thrown.) -Julius Caesar_

Mia quickly walked towards the layout room, knowing that the information that she was holding in her hands were going to be extremely helpful to Sara and Grissom's case, but would also put an extreme pressure on the case. She had to get it to them before the FBI came crawling in. Mia clutched the folder tightly in her hand as she came closer to the room. The papers inside the folder that she held contained DNA information, pictures, and information on three completely different cases. Two of which were from Atlanta and one was from Houston. She pushed through the door and set the paper on the table, a few feet from where Grissom and Sara were working. They looked from the folder to Mia, confused looks on their faces. Mia pushed back a smile and gave a straight, stern look. In all truth, Mia had no idea about what she was going to start. Just by the information that she was about to give to Sara and Grissom, she would start a chain of events that would only end in tears and heartbreak.

"You'll never guess what I found out."

-----------

Amelia sat down across from Catherine and sighed, sipping quietly at her coffee, her blue eyes glued to the picture of Mrs. Edwards that lay in front of her. A good mother and a good wife who had no need to die. Amelia and Catherine still hadn't worked out why Cassie had shot up the Edward's room. As far as they had been able to find out, there was nothing tying any of the family members to Cassie or Todd. And she had a nagging feeling, like something was missing.

She tore her eyes from the picture and looked around the break room. Grissom and Sara were in the layout room with Mia, talking about their case, and Warrick and Nick were out working on their case. The break room seemed dead and uninviting to Amelia. She was dead tired and hungry. It was getting close to dinner time and it didn't seem like Amelia would be able to go out with Grissom for breakfast the next morning, not with how slow things were going. Amelia knew she would never be able to concentrate on breakfast with this case nagging at the back of her mind. And it seemed like Grissom was busy with his case, Amelia didn't want to take him away from it.

Amelia turned back to the photos of the crime scene and sighed sadly. She wanted so desperately to find Mrs. Edward's killer, she felt it was the only way to repay her. Amelia had found out that Mr. and Mrs. Edwards had donated money to the crime lab on several occasions. She was a nice woman.

"No sign of them. No sign of the gun. No links from Cassie to the Edwards. Raymone isn't talking. We've got nothing now." Amelia said sadly as she carefully set her cup of coffee on the table. Catherine looked at her and nodded, a look of helplessness on her face.

"No kidding." Catherine muttered.

"Hey Cath..." Amelia started to say. Catherine looked at her and waited for Amelia to go on. "I, uh." She turned and looked out the door just as several FBI agents walked by. Amelia stared in confusion, shrugged, then looked back at Catherine. "I'm going to head back to the hospital and check on Brass, ok?" She said. Catherine nodded and looked back down at the pictures and reports on the table. Amelia stood up, grabbed her cup of coffee, and headed towards the locker room. She needed to get her jacket before leaving. The sun would be setting soon which meant it was going to start getting cooler soon. She walked into the locker room and headed towards her locker. She opened it up and was putting on her jacket when the door opened. She looked over and saw Ecklie walk in. Amelia sighed and turned back to her locker, shutting it.

She had a feeling that he would end up looking for her and that couldn't be good.

Nothing that involves Ecklie is ever good.

-----------

Jim slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at a blurry vision of Amelia. As his eyes focused Amelia smiled down at him. She grabbed his hand gently and squeezed it.

"How ya doing mate?" Amelia asked quietly. Jim smiled softly and tried to squeeze her hand back, but it hurt. He winced in pain. "I'm so sorry." Amelia muttered. Jim looked at her in confusion. _What would she have to be sorry about?_ He wondered to himself.

"About what?" Jim managed to say. His voice was raspy and it hurt to talk.

"About this." She replied, looking at his hands.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but it just feels like it. Can't help it much Jimbo, just my nature." Amelia sighed as her thoughts traced back to Tim. Tim. He had once been her life, everything she lived for. But now he was dead and she had to move on. Grissom was what she needed and what she wanted. She was happy with Grissom. She just hoped he was happy with her.

"Don't." Jim whispered. Amelia looked at him with tears in her eyes and smiled. She gently squeezed his hand again and stood up.

"I'm going to let you get some sleep, ok? I'll be back tomorrow." She told him. Jim nodded and closed his eyes. He was tired anyways. Amelia gave Jim's hand one last squeeze then turned and left his room. She headed past the two uniformed guards outside his room and then headed down the short hallway. As she walked past a room she noticed a woman, obviously a patient, talking to a nurse. The woman was trying to get out of her bed, but the nurse wouldn't let her. Amelia briefly glanced at the woman's face then looked away. A few steps later she stopped and turned around, her jaw dropped and her eyes wide. She stared at the back of the woman's head and took a deep breath. _No, it can't be,_ Amelia tried to convince herself. It wasn't working. The woman eventually turned back around in her bed. Amelia's eyes followed her, but the woman never noticed her. She knew her. She had different hair, but it was her.

It was her missing, and presumed dead, sister, Cathy.

-----------

"Alright," Grissom said, setting down his pen. "Let's hear it." Mia nodded and opened the folder. She took out a few pieces of paper, full of information and slid them across the table to Grissom.

"On April 18, 2000, a man was killed in Houston at the busiest time of the day. No one saw him. No one knew anything. The case fell silent. Three days later, it happened again. This time, someone saw. The name of the witness was never released and after she gave her testimony, she left the city." Mia summarized for them.

"Where did you get all of this information?" Grissom asked after handing the papers to Sara.

"It came from the FBI databases. Here," Mia handed him a few more pieces of papers. "A little more than two years ago a shooting of an Atlanta Crime Scene Investigator took place by a man who was working for a jeweler. It was a hefty case with different ins and outs. It started out as a murder of a man. Then it turned out that the man was trying to pay the man who kidnapped his wife. He was trying to pay them with fake jewels. The kidnapper found out and killed him. Later, a," She looked down at a sheet and then back at Grissom and Sara. The only thing Mia didn't know was that they both knew the story pretty well. Nick had recounted the story after he heard it from his parents two years ago. They were just interested in knowing how this had to do with their case. "CSI John Mayberry and CSI Cathy Williamson went to the jewelry store where the family had their jewels cleaned. That's where CSI Cathy Williamson was shot. Now, everyone assumed that it had to do with the kidnapping of the little boy, but the FBI knew different."

"What are you saying?" Grissom asked, his heart was beating wildly in his chest. The day was getting worse by the minute. Mia frowned.

"The FBI set it up. Williamson was the witness and the FBI found out that the men who were involved with the jewelers, they were partners with the man Williamson sent to jail. The so called 'security' that the jeweler there hired, well...they were looking for Williamson in Atlanta. They knew she was there. They somehow figured out she was going to be there. But the FBI got there before Mayberry and Williamson. Without Mayberry's knowledge, they put in a double of Williamson."

"You mean it was never Williamson that was killed? It was some look alike?" Sara asked angrily. Mia nodded.

"I don't know how they did it, but they were able to fool everybody in Atlanta. So, now. You have your case." She grabbed a stack of photos. She dropped the first one on the table. It was Alan Richards. "You know him as Alan Richards, but he's an FBI agent. Toby Keller." She dropped another photo on the table this one was of Diana Richards. "Diana Richards is really FBI agent Michelle Faith." The next photo dropped was of Carson Warner. "Steve Anderson, another FBI agent." She dropped the last photo on the table with a sad sigh. "And last, but not least, Cathy Williamson." Grissom's head shot up and he stared at her with large eyes. He couldn't believe it.

"This is Cathy? This is...oh God." Grissom closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. He couldn't understand how everything got so bad.

"Griss..." Sara said. Grissom opened his eyes and sighed angrily. Four FBI agents were standing behind Mia. Suddenly, everything got so much worse.

-----------

---"I understand you and Gil Grissom have been having a personal relationship, outside of work." Ecklie asked. Amelia sighed and rolled her eyes. She turned to him.

"Yes, we have." She answered him. He gave her one of his sick smiles that makes everyone's skin crawl. Amelia glanced at her ex-husband. He sat in his grey suit, smiling at Amelia. That sick smile that makes you want to hurl. It makes your skin crawl. _How did I fall in love with that kind of a man?_ Amelia thought to herself. A shiver went though Amelia as she remembered that day in court.

"Then why don't you try and keep it out of work. That's the whole point of having an outside relationship." He said curtly. Amelia stared blankly at his back as he walked away. As soon as the door to the locker room shut Amelia let out an angry sigh.

"Asshole." She muttered before leaving the locker room.---

Amelia sat down at the bar and ordered water. She couldn't drink while working, but she needed something. During the ten minute drive to the hotel she had been trying to convince herself that she hadn't seen Cathy. It wasn't working. Amelia smiled at the bartender as he gave her her drink. She sipped at the water and blocked the tears. She couldn't cry. No, if it was Cathy, then obviously something was wrong and she would rather not get messed up in it. Not now. She knew better than to get messed up in other people's problems. Besides, her whole family thought Cathy dead.

Amelia closed her eyes as a very familiar person sat down next to her.

"Wanna tell me why you're in a casino bar?" He asked. Amelia sighed and opened her eyes, chuckling.

"Seems familiar, huh?" She asked.

---Warrick sat down at the bar with a tired sigh. He was beyond tired and was ready to go home. The case had been a bad one. A mother and daughter raped and killed in their home. They were lucky enough to catch the guy who did it, but everybody was angry with it. Everyone always became emotionally when a child was involved in any type of case, it was just how they were.

After they arrested the guy everyone went their separate ways. Grissom went to ride his roller coaster, Amelia went home to her husband, Nick went to an empty apartment, same with Sara, and Warrick was at a casino bar, drinking.

He ordered a scotch and stared at the counter. It was better than gambling, at least in his opinion. He was trying to stop gambling, but it wasn't working. Warrick took a small sip of his drink as someone sat next to him. He glanced over and chuckled.

"Shouldn't you be at home?" He asked. She chuckled and ordered water. Warrick looked back at the counter and sighed. He hated being so close to her because he had a crush on her. But she was married. He couldn't take it any father.

"You know Rick, you can't shut people out." She said as the bartender handed her a drink.

"What do you mean?" Warrick asked, continuing to stare at the counter.

"I know you Rick, you've got something on your mind. What is it?" She asked. Warrick looked back at her and his heart skipped a beat. There she was, in her typical work outfit, black dress pants with a button up shirt and a black jacket. Her short brown hair was left loose around her face. Her blue eyes looked like a dark brown since there were hardly any lights in the bar.

"I'm just messed up by the case, Mel." He told her. Amelia pursed her lips together and nodded, turning away from him.

"We all are Rick. It happens more times than it should, but you should never act like this." She told him.

"What? By drinking? How about gambling? Would that be any better?" Warrick asked angrily. Amelia chuckled quietly and finished off her drink quickly. She laid a few bills on the counter and got off her stool.

"See ya tomorrow Rick." She told him before leaving. Warrick sighed angrily. _I always screw things up. _---

"I'm surprised you remember that." Warrick said, smiling. Amelia looked at him chuckled, nodding.

"I remember a lot of things. What are you doing here?" Amelia asked. Warrick pointed across the room to the casino. An officer was putting up the yellow tape to cover a section of the casino.

"Working on a case." Warrick told her. Truth was, they were nowhere near done. Warrick really wanted to go home and get some sleep, but then he spotted Amelia sitting at the bar and figured he should say hi.

"Oh." The two laughed and Amelia turned back to her drink.

"What are you doing here?" Warrick asked. Amelia shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"Don't start Rick. Something just came up and I needed a few minutes to collect myself before going back to the lab." Amelia told him. Warrick nodded.

"Right. So how's Jim?" He asked.

"Jim's good. He's sleeping. I'm sure he'll be fine." Amelia told him. Warrick nodded and looked away. Amelia glanced at her watch and sighed. "I better get back. Catherine and I have run into a stop on our case."

"Right. Stay sane." Warrick told her as Amelia walked away. Amelia chuckled and headed towards the front door. She had to put this thing with Cathy out of her mind until she could figure out her own case. Then, only then, would she start trying to figure out that happened with Cathy.

-----------

"What brings you here?" Grissom asked the Federal Agent, trying to play innocent.

"We have Carson Warner, Lisa Warner, and Diana Richards in our custody. We're getting them out of here. You are to drop this investigation immediately." One of the FBI agents warned. Grissom smiled politely. Sara, however, was not. She was shooting knives at the FBI agents. She wasn't up to being nice to them.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. A man has been murdered. It's up to us to find his killer." Grissom told him kindly, though he knew the FBI would take over the case anyway.

"Not anymore. It's the FBI's problem, we'll take care of it." He said, motioning to his two other Agents. They moved around him and began to pack the evidence into boxes. Mia glared as one of the guys grabbed the folder out of her hand. She moved as he pushed past her, to get to the other evidence.

"Like you took care of Cathy Stokes?" Sara said angrily. She knew who Cathy was; she knew how bad Amelia and Nick were going to freak out if they found out. She may not like Amelia too much, but she didn't want Amelia to go through something like this. She knew that in reality, it would be better for Amelia's mental health if she never knew.

"Sara..." Grissom warned her. She ignored him.

"Excuse me?" The FBI agent said. Sara flashed him a fake smile.

"Cathy Stokes almost died because you guys tried to help her. Maybe, instead of pretending to get rid of her, and ruining so many people's lives, you should have gotten rid of the bad guys. But I guess you all are too stupid to think of that, hmm?" Sara spat angrily. She pushed past the agent and left the room, heading for the break room.

Sara got to the break room and found Catherine going over different reports, probably pertaining to her case. Catherine looked up and smiled, but then noticed the look on Sara's face. She frowned. She was in both mommy and CSI mode. _Scary combination,_ Sara thought as she noticed the concern on Catherine's face. Sara forced a small smile.

"You ok?" Catherine asked. Sara shook her head.

"No. Our case has taken a dramatic nose dive." Sara said, walking over to the coffee pot. She grabbed a cup and poured herself some coffee.

"Ames and I saw the Feds. What's going on?" Catherine asked. Sara took a deep breath and looked at Catherine.

"To make a long story short, Cathy Stokes was one of our victims. She was being protected by the FBI and they loused it up." Sara told her. Catherine's jaw dropped.

"She's alive?" Catherine asked, shocked beyond her wildest dreams. Sara nodded sadly.

"FBI's taking all three of our live victims back to Atlanta with them, or something. I'm not sure. I couldn't stay. I can't stand-" Sara saw something out of the corner and looked over to the door. Amelia was standing in the doorway.

"Detective Cavalier found Cassie. They arrested her in the Mall. She's on her way." She said blankly, looking at Catherine. She then looked at Sara. "Is he here?" She asked. Sara stared at her in confusion.

"Who? No...I don't-" Amelia turned and headed towards the layout room. Catherine glanced at Sara and then they both started following Amelia. Amelia hurried towards the layout room, hoping to see if he was there. He was the cause of all her pain and she couldn't wait to finally let him know. She reached the layout room and could see Grissom talking to four FBI agents. Amelia pushed the door open and pushed through the agents and got in front of his face. "You son of a bitch." Amelia growled. Instead of getting angry, he smiled.

"Amelia!" Grissom shouted. Amelia ignored him. She would explain it to Grissom later.

"You think you can come in here and just ignore me? Pretend like you haven't hurt dozens of people with your lies?" Amelia said angrily. He just simply smiled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He replied.

"CATHY STOKES IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD. Now tell me, PLEASE, why did I see HER walking around the hospital, very much alive?" Amelia asked angrily. He didn't say anything. In fact, it was dead quiet. "Sackheim, you better answer me. It's the least you could do after letting everyone in my family believe that my sister, was dead. Tell me, Dennis, why am I seeing her now?"

"You know, Stokes, I can't divulge that information. It pertains to a case that you are not involved with, whatsoever." Sackheim replied. Amelia's upper lip curled in anger.

"Don't be such a dope. I'm going to find out and you know it. Does Mayberry know?" Amelia asked. Sackheim shook his head and rubbed his forehead. Amelia always was the type of person who could give you a headache, if you didn't know how to deal with her. Even after all that time working with her in Miami, before he left for Atlanta, he never mastered the art of how to deal with her.

"CSI Mayberry knows that CSI Williamson was involved with a case in Houston, but that's all. Now, I have a job to do."

"Oh, why start now?" Amelia said bitterly.

"Amelia, stop it." Grissom grabbed Amelia's arm and dragged her out of the layout room. She pulled her arm out of his grasp and glared at him.

"Don't you dare try to chastise me Gil Grissom." Amelia said angrily, staring into his eyes.

"You have no right and I mean NO right to go into there and say what you just said. If it seemed pertinent to tell you of what's coming out of this case, then Sara or I would have sat you down and talked to you. This case is out of our hands now. I'm sure, if Cathy wants to contact you, she will. But you will never act like that again, do you understand me?" He said angrily.

"Excuse me? If I hadn't seen Cathy at the hospital it would have been likely I wouldn't have heard anything on this subject whatsoever."

"That does not give you an excuse to act as you did. You have embarrassed this lab Amelia. Don't you understand that?"

"I don't really care about that right now. Jesus Gil, I think I would have expected you to care just a little more about me than about this lab."

"Why? Because we're dating? Amelia-" Amelia held up her hands and stopped him.

"Don't Gil. Just don't. I've got a suspect to interrogate. So excuse me, while I get back to my _job_." She turned with an angry glare and walked away from him. She couldn't understand what just happened. Everything was mixing angrily in her brain and she couldn't make any sense of it. Then she suddenly stopped not more than ten steps away form where Grissom was still standing. She needed to know where she was. She needed to talk to her. She needed answers. She turned with determination and headed back towards Sackheim who was still inside the layout room with his three other agents and Mia. Sara and Catherine were standing right outside the door, looking at the ground.

Grissom's eyes followed Amelia as she stormed into the layout. He made a go to grab her but missed. Catherine, Sara, and Mia just watched as Amelia walked right up to Sackheim and pushed him. Everyone's jaws dropped as Sackheim was caught off guard and staggered back slightly.

"Amelia!" Grissom's voice yelled out. Nobody paid attention, though several lab techs slowly dragged themselves from their stations to see what was going on.

"Where is she?" She asked forcefully. Catherine and Sara both made sure Grissom was blocked out of the doorway so he couldn't get in. They both knew Amelia needed this and they weren't ready to let Grissom in yet.

"Some place nobody knows about." Sackheim answered angrily, straightening himself up, embarrassed to be caught off guard by Amelia. Amelia smirked.

"Sure about that? Is that what you thought when you set your agents up with her in a house? Did you honestly think whoever was looking for her wasn't going to find her? You may have fooled me and Nick with her death, but that was because we cared too much. We were emotionally involved, these people aren't. Think with your head Sackheim, not with your ass." Amelia retorted angrily. She was starting to lose control and she knew this was not going to end easily.

"The last thing Cathy needs to see is you or Nick." Sackheim shouted angrily in her face. The way he said it made Amelia take a step back. She shrugged.

"Fine." She acted as if she was going to leave but then turned around, and with all the force she could muster, slammed Sackheim against the wall. She heard Grissom once again call her name out. "You think I'm just going to give up? You turned my life to hell for two years, making me believe that my sister was dead. You think I'm just going to walk away knowing she's alive?" Amelia yelled angrily. She wasn't thinking about what the repo cautions would be about doing this. She just simply didn't care. Sackheim pushed her off him with a forceful shrug causing Amelia to stumble away and trip over the leg of a chair. Amelia landed on the ground with a hard thump, but neither she nor Sackheim was dazed by it.

"That is exactly what you should do. You know what happens when you stick your nose into other's people's business. Just look at Cathy. A life in the witness protection program, never being able to actually live. You know you need to just stay away from her." Sackheim straightened his jacket and continued to send a menacing stare towards Amelia as she slowly picked herself up off the ground. "It's better for everyone that way." Tears stung Amelia's eyes as she realized how much of the truth that really was. Everything he was saying was making sense, but Amelia couldn't listen to that.

She needed to see her again.

Even though Cathy was almost five years older than Amelia, they had been very close to each other. Amelia always looked up to Cathy. Cathy was one of the reasons Amelia and Nick both got into the whole Crime Scene thing. Amelia had missed her sister over the last two years. The fact that Cathy and Tim's deaths were so similar had been bothering Amelia for the last three months, but she wouldn't even try to wonder if Tim might still be alive.

She pushed though the FBI agents, Sara, and Catherine and away from Grissom as she headed away. She noticed the looks of several of the lab techs as she walked through the lab, but she didn't care.

She finally stepped into the fresh cool air of Las Vegas and sighed sadly. Everything had suddenly come apart in just a matter of minutes. She was so angry at Cathy for lying to her, never telling her the truth. And she was angry at how everybody was just going to keep it a secret from her. And Grissom...Grissom. The one person she thought she could trust and he had been willing to keep it from her also.


	5. More To Say

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note:** Hmm...it's been, forever since I last updated. I am so sorry! But, alas, here is chapter 5! It's short, but I just wanted to get an update. If you've previously read this story before today's update, please go back and re-read the story. There have been many changes, some significant, some just checking grammar. To any returning readers, thank you! Please read and review and I'll do the same if you have any stories posted!

**Chapter 5: More To Say**

_'Fâta viam inurnient.' (Fate will find a way.) -Virgil_

-Horatio stared as Amelia moved deftly and gracefully on the dance floor. Amelia smiled and laughed as Tim twirled her around the floor. Tim wasn't as good of a dancer as Amelia, but anyone could tell that they were both enjoying themselves. It was good, Horatio decided. Good for them to enjoy themselves. The nature of their job didn't allow that for very often, and certainly with all of Amelia's marriage problems, it could be hard to have fun. Sometimes, it even felt guilty to have fun. But alas, here they were. The whole team, even Alexx, at a dinner gala, having as much fun as could be allowed at a Police Banquet.

Amelia was, no doubt, the most beautiful woman in the room. Her long blonde hair was styled in curls and was pinned up on her head, some of the curls cascading down her back. She was wearing a long silver dress that clung to her body in all the right places. She looked like an angel.

"I don't understand why they don't just get married." Calleigh said, disrupting Horatio's thoughts. Horatio turned to Calleigh, who was watching Tim and Amelia dance.

"Maybe they are." Horatio turned back to look at Tim and Amelia. "They have no rush." Calleigh chuckled.

"You know everybody's secrets, don't you Horatio?" Horatio smiled sadly. Not all the time.---

Cathy Williamson sat in the lobby of the Hospital. She was waiting for everyone to be checked out. She didn't want to go. She didn't want to leave Las Vegas. Cathy knew Amelia and Nick were here. She had met their friends, Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle. Cathy knew who they were. Cathy knew all about Las Vegas, hearing both Nick and Amelia's sides. But she figured that neither Gil nor Sara knew who she really was.

Now that Cathy was here, she needed her brother and sister. Cathy needed her family back. She couldn't leave them again like this. By now, she figured Amelia and Nick already knew what was going on. Amelia was always really quick at figuring things out. Cathy wouldn't leave her family again. The problem was explaining to her parents and her husband that she wasn't really dead. She'd leave that for later. She wasn't going to run anymore. She would stand up for herself. She was done being the FBIs puppet. No more pretending.

Cathy stood up as a familiar person came through the doors of the hospital. Amelia. She looked so much happier now that she wasn't married to Evan.

---

Amelia was drawn to the hospital. When she finally walked through the doors and looked around, she knew why. Sackheim had said that they were gone, but Cathy was still there. She stood still in her spot, their eyes connected. Neither moved. Both were scared that what they were seeing was a dream. They were scared that if they moved, they would find that it wasn't real.

"Cathy?" Amelia finally called out, her voice trembling. Cathy nodded. A smile broke out over Amelia's face as tears started pouring. This was the moment she had been hoping for. She was alive! Amelia ran to her. The long lost sisters wrapped their arms around each other. They held each other tightly. Both were crying and smiling.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Cathy finally said, still not letting go.

"I thought you were dead. But somehow, somehow, I knew that you weren't!" Amelia cried tears of joy as she continued to hold onto Cathy.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry for lying to you! I'll never do it again. Never." Cathy kept repeating over and over again. The sisters held tightly onto each, each too afraid to let go.

"What about the FBI?" Amelia asked finally, after a long silence. Cathy pulled away, shaking her head.

"I won't hide anymore. I can't. Not when I have the chance to fix things. I won't hide anymore." Cathy proclaimed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Amelia smiled and nodded.

"Nick and I will help you...Oh Nick! I don't think he knows!" Amelia mused to herself about how to tell her brother that their beloved older sister that everyone believed dead was in fact alive. Cathy smiled and brushed a tear from Amelia's face.

"I can't wait to hear all about what's gone on with you since we last talked. I need to know everything. But first, we need to get me out of here." Amelia and Cathy both looked around. The FBI agents seemed to not have noticed that Amelia had arrived at the hospital.

"Come on." Amelia whispered, gently pulled Cathy with her. Cathy and Amelia quickly made their way from the hospital and got into Amelia's Tahoe. As Amelia sped off, both girls were holding their breath. It couldn't be that easy? Amelia wondered to herself. But where to go? Amelia took her sister the only place she could think of, her apartment.

"We'll keep you here for now and I'll make sure you're safe. We've got to keep our guards up until we get the guys that shot all of you." Amelia told Cathy as they arrived at Amelia's apartment.

"Ames, this is a lot to ask of you. But we can't possibly do this by ourselves." Cathy said. Amelia parked the car and looked over at her older sister. The last two years had obviously not been easy for her. Age showed on her face. Amelia smiled.

"I've lost far too many people over the years Cath, I won't lose you again. I'll call Nick and let him know. You're going to be safe." Amelia promised. Cathy smiled and wiped a tear.

"For now. Let's just take it one step at a time." Amelia nodded in agreement.

"One step at a time." As the sisters made their way into Amelia's apartment, Amelia couldn't help but think of Tim. Tim and Cathy's deaths were so similar. If Cathy was alive, was it possible that Tim was too? What would that do Amelia if it was true?

"Ames?" Cathy said, pulling Amelia from her train of thought. Amelia shut the door and smiled at her sister, tears in her eyes.

"I have so much to say to you. So much to tell you about the last couple of years. I don't even know where to start Cath." Cathy sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to her gently.

"Start at beginning. Don't skip a beat." Cathy suggested quietly. Amelia took a breath, sat down next to her sister and began to tell her everything.

"It started with Evan…" Amelia began.


	6. Casino Theft

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note: **Yet again in my life I find myself writing non-school stuff when I should be working on school stuff. I can't help it if I love to procrastinate. But just think people, you're the ones benefiting! Here I am, being all nice and stuff and updating for you. I realized, while going through and editing my previous chapters, that I have really lengthy chapters. So here I am, attempting to clear up some things with Nick and Warrick and attempting to post a lengthy chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 6- Casino Theft**

"_All around me I see danger" –Within Temptation "Final Destination"_

"Ok, Mel and Catherine, you have a DB at a hotel." Grissom stated as he handed the paper to Amelia, his eyes looking at the next slip of paper. He looked at her as their fingers touched. Amelia quickly pulled away and looked down at the paper. Grissom cleared his throat as the rest of the team gave him and Amelia a questioning look. Nick watched the encounter between his supervisor and his sister. Everyone on grave had figured there was something going on between them, now they were all just waiting for Grissom and Amelia to confirm it. "Uh, Sara you're with me. DB killed in his home." He handed the slip to Sara. "Warrick and Nick, you have a theft at a Casino." He handed the slip of paper to Warrick.

It didn't really bother Nick that Amelia and Grissom had feelings for each other. It had been a little odd seeing them "together" at first, but the more Nick watched them, the more Nick saw how truly perfect they were together. Besides, after everything Amelia had been through, with Evan and Tim, she deserved to be happy. If Grissom made her happy, then who was Nick to tell her to stop?

Warrick, on the other hand, wasn't bothered necessarily, just sad that he had lost yet another opportunity with Amelia. Who knows, maybe they just weren't met to be together.

"Have fun." Grissom said to Warrick as the CSIs left the lounge. Nick smirked.

"Always." Warrick and Nick met in the parking lot a few minutes later, ready to head out in Nick's Tahoe. As Nick and Warrick drove to the scene, Nick decided to ask Warrick's opinion of Grissom and Amelia's relationship.

"So what do you think about Griss and Ames?" Nick asked, looking at Warrick from the corner of his eyes. Warrick visibly tensed, but relaxed after a second. He shrugged. Nick found Warrick's reaction to the question interesting.

"I guess it's odd to two of the team together, but if they're happy and keep it out of the lab, I don't see the problem." Warrick replied, looking out of the window. Nick was now curious due to Warrick's answer. Did Warrick like Amelia? Nick had never noticed anything between them and Warrick had never said anything about her in that way.

"I think they're perfect for each other. Always have been. As long as Grissom keeps her happy and she makes him happy, then I'm nothing but smiles for them. Our parents, on the other hand, will probably have a fit. I mean, Griss is thirteen years older than Ames. He's only like a year older than our oldest sister Cherie, but I figure Mom and Dad will probably still have a fit over the age difference. They want lots of grandchildren, ya know?" Nick joked. Warrick chuckled.

"Ecklie's gonna have a fit when he finds out. Co-workers aren't supposed to date. He's gonna make one of them choose." Warrick remarked. Nick nodded grimly.

"It would suck to lose either of them to another shift. Ames will probably go noble and switch to day or swing. Just as long as neither of them quit." Warrick nodded in agreement.

They arrived at the Casino and headed inside. Det. Ray O'Riley met them inside.

"What do we got Ray?" Warrick asked as they reached the Detective. Ray frowned. The Casino was fairly busy for such a time of night. In Las Vegas, that was no big deal, but on this night, having so many people around would just hinder their investigation. Ray hated big crowds. And that's what they had. On the outside of their crime scene, watching from behind the yellow crime scene tape, a hoard of people craned their necks, trying to see what was going on.

"What's with the tape Ray? Did somebody die? We thought this was a theft." Nick asked, looking around. Ray shook his head.

"Nope, just trying to keep out the people. Don't ask me. I didn't do it." Nick quirked an eyebrow while Warrick rolled his eyes.

"Ok, so what is it?" Nick asked.

"Tiffany Close, a teller here, claims a man came up to the window, pointed a gun at her and demanded all the money in her draw. She gave it to him, he put in a bag and ran off." Ray explained. He pointed to his left. A blonde girl dressed in the teller uniform was sitting at a table, talking with a cop. "Officer Wydell is getting her description of the guy as we speak." Nick and Warrick exchanged a look.

"I'll see if we can get any prints from the teller window. You check with the girl?" Warrick said. Nick nodded his agreement and walked over to the teller while Warrick and Ray headed to the teller's window. "This it?" Warrick asked. Ray nodded.

"This is the scene of the crime. She said he made off with about 2 G's. Mostly big bills, like $20s." Ray told Warrick. Warrick smirked.

"The bills should be able to be traced back to the casino. Once he starts spending, we should be able to catch him." Warrick explained as he began to dust for prints. Ray nodded.

"Hopefully soon."

"Dude, Warrick, we've got a problem." Nick said after about twenty minutes. He rushed up to Warrick's side. Warrick was just about done getting prints. He looked up at Nick, curious,

"What is it?" Warrick asked, concern hitting him like a brick once he saw the look on Nick's face.

"The teller gave the cops your description." Nick said quickly.

Warrick stared at Nick, confused. "What did you just say?" He asked.

"The teller gave the cops your description. She said you were the one who stole the money Rick." Nick repeated. Warrick groaned and grabbed his head. _What was going on? This could not be happening._

"I swear Nicky, it wasn't me! Why would I do that? Especially when I know I would get recognized. Seriously Nicky! Come on man!" Warrick pleaded his case. Nick nodded and shrugged. He knew Warrick was innocent. Nick held up his hands to stop Warrick from talking.

"Hey man, look. If you say it wasn't you, then I believe you. But it doesn't change the fact that someone is accusing you of robbery. You'll have to sit this one out." Warrick groaned angrily, interrupting Nick. Nick gave him a stern look. "Go home, get some rest and get your alibi. I'll finish up here and I'll work the case. I'll clear you, man, you know that! The evidence will prove it wasn't you."

Warrick could not believe this. He was being accused of robbery! Warrick gave Nick one last look before he began to pack up his kit. Nick was right, the evidence would prove it wasn't him. As much as Warrick hated it, he would have to walk away and let Nick handle it.

He just hoped he wasn't being framed. And if he was, who was it and why would they frame him? It had been years since Warrick had been caught up in gambling. Warrick's future now lay in Nick's hand and Warrick knew Nick wouldn't let him down. The evidence would exonerate him.

Hours later, Nick poured over the photos in the layout room. He was still waiting on the security tape and he was waiting on the results of the prints found at the scene. The photos didn't tell much, but for now, all Nick could do was wait.

Soon Amelia walked into the layout room and found Nick in there, working on one side of the table. Amelia smiled at him as she set her pictures on the other side. He smiled back at her. She could tell it was a pained smile, but she had no idea about Warrick.

"How's it going?" He asked, motioning to the pictures. Amelia sighed and spread the pictures of the wall out.

"Bad. Politician's wife." Amelia said as she set out the pictures of Rene Edwards. Nick cringed. A dead politician or a dead politician's family member was never a good thing. That would mean it would be high profile and most likely messy.

"Who?" He asked as he stretched. The hour spent bent over photos had not been kind to his back.

"Rene Edwards." She told him. Nick shook his head as he went back to his work.

"That cannot be good at all. Jack Edwards...who would want to kill him or anybody in his family? He's a nice guy." Nick said.

"As far as we can tell, the bullets were supposed to kill his kids." Nick's head shot up in surprise and anger. "The bullets were shot into the kid's room. The wife was in there putting her kids to bed. They all ran for the next room, but...well, she didn't make it." She told him. Nick sighed and looked back at his pictures.

"That's gotta suck. I've seen her in the paper. She's always doing something for charity and kids. She seemed like a great person." Nick said sadly. Amelia nodded.

"Yeah." Was all she said. Amelia stared at the pictures, trying to piece everything together. The evidence seemed to match up with the witnesses statements. All she had to do was find out who would do this. Nick was right, the Edwards' were a nice family and everybody loved them. It was rare that anybody spoke out badly about them. Everybody seemed to love them.

Nick watched the scene of Amelia and Grissom with interest as he stood in the lounge. What in the world was going on with Amelia? As Amelia walked off to the locker room and Grissom followed Sara back into the layout room, Nick watched the lab techs start gossiping about the obvious inter-office relationship between Amelia and Grissom. Nick cringed inwardly as he thought about the conversation between Ecklie and Amelia that was sure to come. Ecklie would not be happy to hear about two CSIs on the same shift dating.

Nick turned as Catherine and Warrick walked past him. He watched them as they headed towards the locker room. _I think I'll follow them_, Nick thought. He hurried to catch up with them. The trio entered the locker room and found Amelia sitting silently in front of her locker.

"Mel?" Catherine said, jarring Amelia from her thoughts. Nick and Warrick watched as Amelia stared at her locker.

"Yes, Grissom and I have been dating. Sort of. We've gone on three dates." Amelia answered the un-asked question. Amelia's phone beeped, interrupting what was going to be Catherine's response. The trio waited as Jim communicated with Amelia about a suspect in their case. After Amelia hung up, she continued to stare at her locker, not saying a word. Finally she spoke, albeit quietly, "I'm four months pregnant." Nick's eyes went wide in surprise. He was not expecting that. Beside him, Warrick had the same reaction.

"Oh Ames...is it...Tim's?" Catherine asked softly. Amelia nodded and licked her lips.

"Yeah. Uh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner. I just-I didn't know how." She chuckled nervously.

"It's ok Ames. Come on. We've got somebody to question." Catherine said, rubbing Amelia's back.

"Yeah, let's go."

Through all of this, Nick was surprisingly quiet. He was quietly watching his older sister, watching her as she gave them two pieces of surprising news. He could believe that she and Grissom were dating, but he couldn't believe that she was pregnant. _Poor Mel,_ Nick thought, she _just can't catch a break._

Nick and Warrick moved out of the way as Catherine and Amelia left the locker room. As his sister passed by him, their eyes met and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He would be by her side no matter what. They were family. Amelia smiled back in response. A small weight lifted off her shoulders, knowing her brother was by her side.

Warrick and Nick stood in silence before Warrick finally spoke. "How's the case?" He asked quietly. Nick cleared his throat and looked at his best friend, pain on his face.

"I can't talk about it, you know that. Go home, man. You gave Riley your statement?" He asked. Warrick nodded.

"Yeah man, I did. I just can't sit still. I need to do something." Warrick exclaimed, pacing around the locker room. Nick shook his head.

"Go home, I mean it. Don't mess up the case Rick." Nick warned. Warrick stopped his pacing and stared at his best friend. Slowly, he nodded and walked past Nick to leave the locker room. But he wasn't going home.

Warrick drove around town for a while, thinking. After about thirty minutes of driving around, he heard over the radio that Jim had been shot. Warrick shook his head angrily. _What the hell was going on in Las Vegas today? _He thought. First, he was being framed for a theft, then Jim gets shot, Amelia and Grissom are embroiled in an office affair. The shit had hit the fan.

Warrick finally ended up in the bar of the casino. It was across the room from where the robbery took place. He sat at a table in the corner, water in front of him. He couldn't afford to drink, in case the case took a turn for the worse. After sitting for a while, he watched Amelia walk into the bar and sit down at the bar and order a drink.

Warrick stood up from his table and walked over to her, sitting in the seat next to her.

"Wanna tell me why you're in a casino bar?" He asked. Amelia sighed and opened her eyes, chuckling.

"Seems familiar, huh?" She asked.

"I'm surprised you remember that." Warrick said, smiling. Amelia looked at him and chuckled, nodding. It was a long time ago, Warrick remembered. Late 1999 or early 2000, if he remembered right.

"I remember a lot of things. What are you doing here?" Amelia asked. Warrick pointed across the room to the casino. An officer was standing in front of the yellow tape to cover a section of the casino.

"Working on a case." Warrick told her. He didn't want to tell her the truth. He wanted to keep it as quiet as possible, that way there would be as little repercussions as possible.

"Oh." The two laughed and Amelia turned back to her drink.

"What are you doing here?" Warrick asked. Amelia shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"Don't start Rick. Something just came up and I needed a few minutes to collect myself before going back to the lab." Amelia told him. Warrick nodded. He knew when to not push her.

"Right. So how's Jim?" He asked.

"Jim's good. He's sleeping. I'm sure he'll be fine." Amelia told him. Warrick nodded and looked away. Amelia glanced at her watch and sighed. "I better get back. Catherine and I have run into a stop on our case."

"Right. Stay sane." Warrick told her as Amelia walked away. Amelia chuckled and headed towards the front door. Warrick watched her walk away. He remained seated at the bar. He prayed to God that Nick could find the evidence to exonerate him.


	7. Hello to the Future

**Title:** Halfhearted

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

**Summary:** Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note: **This is the last chapter of Halfhearted  Fear not, loyal readers. Soon, part 3, titled Lips of Pink, will be hitting . And, being the wonderful person I am, here is the synopsis for Lips of Pink: _Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Nick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as Sara, Grissom and Warrick work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead._

**Chapter 7: Hello To The Future**

"_So breathe in so deep  
Breathe me in  
I'm yours to keep  
And hold onto your words  
Cause talk is cheap  
And remember me tonight  
When your asleep_

Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you  
Over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I wont live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find" –Secondhand Serenade "Fall For You"

"Sara? Look, I need your help." Amelia's call to Sara had taken place over an hour ago, some thirty or forty minutes after Amelia and Cathy had arrived at Amelia's apartment. Sara had agreed to help solve the case to find the people who were after Cathy. Amelia had also called Catherine to tell her she needed to stay with her sister and couldn't come back in. Catherine was pissed, but understood.

Besides, Amelia had to make a decision. Now that Ecklie knew she and Grissom were dating, one of them would have to switch teams. There was no way that Amelia would let Grissom leave grave. Grave could live without her, but she feared they would forever blame her if Grissom left grave.

But Amelia currently needed to save her sister from both the FBI and whoever was sent to kill her. Amelia wouldn't lose her again. Amelia picked up the phone for the third time, she took a deep breath. Her next call would be to Nick. She had no idea what to expect from his reaction, but Amelia knew he would be so happy to hear that his older sister wasn't actually dead.

The whole trial was a blur for Amelia. She could vaguely remember Sara and Grissom testifying and then her own testimony. Amelia never took her eyes off of Cathy. Cathy's husband Craig came to Las Vegas a couple weeks before the trial. Out of the seven Stokes kids, Cathy, Amelia and Nick were the only ones without kids (although that would be changing for Amelia in just a few months).

Cathy had gone back to Texas with Craig just a few days ago. The long months of finding the killers and who was behind it and then the trial was taxing not just for the Stokes family, but for the Las Vegas crime lab as well.

Nick was shocked off his feet when he found out Cathy was alive and in Las Vegas. He had just cleared Warrick of guilt in the casino theft when Amelia called to tell him what was going on. He could hardly believe it until he saw Cathy with his own eyes. She looked different, but her eyes were still Cathy.

There was eleven years between Nick, the youngest of seven, and the twins Cherie and Danielle, the oldest of the seven. Tabatha was two years younger than the twins and Jeff, the only other boy besides Nick, was two years younger than Tabatha. Cathy followed Jeff a year later and then five years later, Amelia was born. A year and a handful of months after Amelia was born, Nick was the final child.

Growing up with six older siblings was no easy task for Nick. But Cathy and Amelia were Nick's rock. The three of them spent much of their childhood together, particularly playing crime scene games. While Cherie and Tabatha became lawyers, Danielle and Jeff became cops, Cathy, Amelia and Nick did the CSI route. The whole family was law enforcement, or something similar. They learned it from their parents. While most families have that one kid who rebels, none of the Stokes did.

The family was still very close, despite each child eventually striking out on their own. Cathy's supposed death hit them all hard, but finding out she was actually alive? It hit harder than her death had. Bill and Jillian, the parents, were knocked off their feet when they were told. Everyone was beyond shocked. But all were so thankful to have Cathy back; the family was closer than ever. Amelia couldn't remember a time when she had had this much contact with her older siblings. But she was glad to have it, especially as she neared her June due date.

The whole issue with the FBI had put both Amelia and Grissom in foul moods. It took them both a few days to calm down before they could approach each other again. Once they started talking, the couple was able to work out their problems. Grissom was just glad to have Amelia. After seeing Amelia in the hospital, so close to death, he was happy to have her by his side. He was happy to have someone to go home to at night. And to know that she would be giving birth to a son soon; Grissom was over the moon. Yes, the baby wasn't his, but with no other father figure around, Grissom was more than happy to be the father the baby would need. And Amelia was happy to know that Grissom would be there for her and the baby.

It wouldn't be easy, but with Grissom by her side, Amelia knew she'd make it.

---

Sara stared at Nick as he slowly fell asleep. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't believe that he could sleep. Cathy was safe, yes, but he had just found out a couple months ago that his once thought dead sister was still alive. From what Sara had learned, despite the five year difference between Cathy and Amelia (and six years for Cathy and Nick), the three youngest siblings were the closest.

Sara was an only child, so she didn't know what it was like. But seeing Amelia, Cathy and Nick together during the trial, Sara was jealous of their relationship. And then to have Bill and Jillian and all seven of their children together in one spot, the family love was overwhelming for Sara. But to those nine people, it was the greatest thing in the world. Sara didn't completely understand it, but she could see that those nine people and their husbands, wives and children, valued the family dynamic more than anything. As Nick would say, they were a good ol' Texan family who stuck together no matter what.

Sara stroked Nick's hair as he lay sleeping. She may not understand it, but she wanted to experience it. Maybe things would work out for Nick and Sara and she could finally have a functional family of her own.

---

As Amelia lay in Grissom's arms, she couldn't help but think about Tim. Tim's death and Cathy's fake death were so similar, Amelia was constantly wondering if it was possible that Time was alive. Is that why Amelia felt as if she was cheating on Tim? Because he was still alive and she knew, in her heart of hearts, that he wasn't really dead?

Or maybe she was just fooling herself.

Amelia listened to Grissom's breathing. He was fast asleep. The mental facepalm that Amelia gave herself in that moment seemed to wake up her sense. What was she thinking? Tim was dead. He died in her arms. It _was_ him. He wasn't coming back like Cathy.

Here she was, lying in the arms of a man she'd been in love with for years, and she was trying to convince herself that her dead boyfriend was still alive. She was thinking about the wrong person. Grissom was here. Grissom was alive. He was _here_, holding _her_. She needed to stop hoping Tim would come walking through the door.

Amelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew she would dream of Tim, but this time, she was going to say goodbye.

Tim would never know his child and his child would never know him, but Grissom was here, ready to be a father to a child not of his blood. Amelia was lucky to have him.

_It's time to say goodbye,_ Amelia thought as she drifted off to sleep. _And time to say hello to my future with Grissom._


End file.
